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5.
What I do at Brake
A bit of everything!
Keep on top of road safety research
Build a network of expert speakers/writers and
organisation case studies
Research, write and edit guidance for
employers, police, and support literature
Talk to the media – written quotes and TV/radio
interviews

6.
Am I a librarian?
No! No resources to manage (print or
electronic), no information service either
internally or externally.
Yes! I am an information professional – I
produce and disseminate information and
connect others with the knowledge they need.

8.
How did I get here?
Wanted to move to the charity sector
Traditional librarian jobs in charities are few and
far between
Looked for jobs that would use my skills but
weren’t considered librarian jobs

10.
Explaining myself at interview
My interviewers weren’t librarians...
...hadn’t hired librarians...
...and weren’t looking to hire a librarian!
I had to explain my skills and experience without
any of the shorthand I was used to.

12.
What skills can you bring?
The first step is knowing what you can do
How do your skills/experience match up to the
jobs you want to do?
Skills audit – look at what you do and what skills
your job involves

13.
Exercise: skills audit
Job role Skills Where developed?
Build a network of expert
speakers/writers
Networking
Knowledge management
Written and verbal
communication
Attending law firm practice
group meetings
Professional qualification
Professional networking
Research, write and edit
guidance for fleets and
support literature
Writing and editing
Summarising complex info
Locating info from various
sources
Evaluating sources of info
Professional qualification
Summarising legal and
business research
Developing practice group
specialisation
Talk to the media Written and verbal
communication
Presentation skills
Marketing
Running training sessions
Speaking at professional
events
Volunteering with
professional bodies

14.
Exercise: skills audit
What do you do in your job?
– E.g. Tracking legislation progress
What skills does this involve?
– E.g. Information literacy, knowledge of relevant
sources, summarising and presenting information
How did you develop these skills?
– E.g. In work, in volunteering roles, from
professional qualifications

15.
Developing your skills
What do you want to do vs what can you do
– What skills will you need for your next move?
Avenues for development
– Can you develop within your current role?
– Opportunities/funding for development?
Soft skills vs hard skills
– Do you need to know how to do specific tasks? (e.g.
cataloguing)
– Or do you need specific skills? (e.g. delivering training)

16.
Finding your dream job
Different circumstances
– Are you actively looking?
– or just lost your job and need a new one quickly?
What do you really want to do?
What are your priorities?
– Job type
– Organisation type
– Hours
– Location
– Pay
– Compromise?

17.
In the job – proving yourself
How do you introduce yourself to colleagues?
– By your job title?
– By what you do?
How do you explain what you do?

18.
Exercise: Elevator pitch
Come up with a one-sentence “pitch” to explain
your role and your skills
Think about the Taboo game from earlier – try
and avoid the same buzzwords!

19.
My elevator pitches
I’m an expert in finding and evaluating
information, so we have the most accurate,
robust evidence on which to base our work.
I connect the people who know things with the
people who need to know them.
I’m immersed in road safety information so I
know what information and developments we
will need to act on.

20.
In the job: finding new opportunities
Always look for where you can add value
What could be improved?
– E.g. Is your intranet organised and structured
efficiently?
– Is knowledge capture happening?
– Are information laws being followed?
Don’t assume people will know to ask for your
help – be nosey!

21.
Sum up
Information professionals have a wide range of
skills
...but not everyone knows this!
Learn the organisation’s language and explain
what you do in their words
Analyse your skills – you can do more than you
think!
Always look for opportunities to develop